India’s domestic airline market has posted double-digit annual growth of 23.2 per cent in August, as reported by IATA. This comes with sizeable increase in real consumer spending and partly because airlines are adding airport-pairs and flight frequencies, which cuts journey times for passengers and has the same stimulatory effect on demand as a large cut in fares. Domestic air travel, on the whole, grew by 4.3 per cent year-on-year in August, with the three-speed market still evident. On the other hand, international traffic flown by Asia Pacific airlines, the second largest international region, rose by a solid 5.6 per cent year-on-year in August. But there are ongoing signs of Asian passengers being put off by terrorism in Europe since traffic on the Europe-Asia route grew by just 1.5 per cent year-on-year in July, and it remains the slowest growing of the ‘big-four’ international routes so far this year. Asian leisure travellers are also substituting to destinations closer to home: international traffic growth within Asia accelerated to a six month-high of 9.9 per cent year-on-year in July.

Etihad Aviation Group and TUI AG have confirmed they are in discussions to create a strong European leisure airline group, focused on point-to-point flying to connect key tourist markets. It is proposed to contribute the touristic operations of the airberlin group and the German TUIfly company, including the aircraft currently operated by TUIfly for airberlin under a wet-lease agreement, into a new airline group established by TUI AG and Etihad Aviation Group. This new airline group would serve a broad network of destinations from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The leisure airline group will be supported by the expertise of Etihad Aviation Group, the fastest-growing aviation group in the world, and utilise TUI’s state-of-the-art distribution capacity. TUI AG, Etihad Aviation Group and Air Berlin PLC intend to finalise an in-principle agreement in due course. Any agreement entered into will be subject to all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals.

Indian real estate developer, the Embassy Group has signed a management agreement with Hilton for its second hospitality project – a 586-room dual-branded hotel within the Embassy Manyata Business Park that features a Hilton Hotels & Resorts and a Hilton Garden Inn brand hotel. This is poised to be one of the largest dual-branded hotels in India. It will be developed and owned by the Embassy Group and managed by Hilton. The hotel’s plan and design are in an advance stage of finalisation, targeted to start construction by 2017 and to be completed by 2020. The hotel will be part of a mixed-use development which will also house a Food and Beverage hub and two commercial towers. The entire complex will sport an iconic design by the Singapore based Andy Fisher Workshop. The dual-branded hotel will comprise 586 rooms in total, with 250 rooms at the Hilton and 336 rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn. It will also feature 46,000 sq. ft. of flexible Meetings and Events space that accommodates up to 1500 people. Talking about the signing, Jitu Virwani, Chairman & Managing Director, Embassy Group, said, “We are delighted to expand and strengthen our partnership with Hilton. Our first hospitality project with Hilton at Embassy GolfLinks has been a great success and we are looking forward to extending our partnership to newer heights.” Commenting on the development, Sartaj Singh, President, Embassy Hospitality, said “Partnering with Hilton in the development of two more hotels is part of an ongoing, consistent business strategy around the hospitality business. Hilton is a global leader in the hospitality sector and it is reputed for its remarkable service and attention to detail. We also plan …

Mumbai-based Go Beyond Representations has been appointed as the marketing representative of City Lodge Hotel Group in South Africa. The City Lodge Hotel Group is a multi-brand chain offering a variety of locations, features and budget choices to business and leisure travellers. Shantanu Chand, CEO, Go Beyond Representations, says, “The group has five distinct brands, currently offering 7,072 rooms at 57 Locations throughout Southern and Eastern Africa. Each of the five Courtyard hotels has its own distinct character and personality. We will be selling and marketing this entire hotel chain pan India.”

Andhra Pradesh Tourism is planning to fast-track the implementation of ‘Mission 45’, which is a group of 45 projects identified by the tourism department, under the state’s attractive Liberal Land lease Policy and Public Private Partnership. Investments in these projects, pertaining to multiple segments – amusement parks, hotels, convocation centers, MICE facilities among others, are a win-win for investors owing to the incentives offered under the land lease policy of AP Government. A detailed plan of action was sketched out for each project during Andhra Pradesh Tourism’s 3-day meeting in Vijayawada with all the Regional Directors of Tourism and other senior government officials. The department intends to roll out the RFPs for each of them in the next 10 to 15 days. Emphasising on the need to be fully prepared to cater to the demand from the upcoming tourist season, it was decided that substantial effort would be undertaken to ensure that all the tourist centric facilities such as APTDC properties, water sport facilities, house boats etc. are fully functional to cater to the needs of the tourists. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Srikant Nagulapalli, Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, Dr. R.P. Khajuria, Commissioner, Department of Tourism and M. Girija Shankar, Managing Director, AP Tourism Development Corporation, Government of Andhra Pradesh. World’s oldest aircraft carrier-ship, INS Viraat, which will be decommissioned by the Indian Navy later this year, is slotted to be berthed at the Vizag Coast by mid-2017. In view of this and to create necessary infrastructure to successfully berth the warship, the department will very soon issue notification for the selection of renowned consultants from domestic as well as international fields for drafting DPR to  select …

Australian-owned Hotel Management Company StayWell Hospitality Group is opening a 72-room Park Regis Sanpra Beach in Visakhapatnam in the first quarter of 2017. Opening in partnership with Indian infrastructure company Sanpra Group, the property will be StayWell’s third across the country and first in southern India. StayWell Hospitality Group CEO Simon Wan said that opening and managing a hotel in the developing city of Visakhapatnam presents many benefits for both StayWell and the local region. “We are passionate about expanding our Park Regis and Leisure Inn brands internationally and see the opening of Park Regis Sanpra Beach in Visakhapatnam, a known Tier II city primed for future development, as a great opportunity to enter into the new market of Southern India,” Wan said. Property owner, P. Kiran Kumar said that joining forces with StayWell Hospitality Group to manage this hotel in early 2017 will bring increased efficiencies and an enhanced guest experience. “The new hotel management agreement with StayWell will bring new world-class operational systems and procedures to the region which both guests and staff will benefit from,” Kumar said. “We are delighted that the hotel matches the vision of the Andhra Pradesh government by bringing in the world-class infrastructure and associating with an international hotel management chain, StayWell Hospitality Group by signing with their upscale brand, Park Regis,” he said. StayWell Hospitality Group India’s Managing Director Rohit Vig also agrees that the brands future within India looks bright following the formalisation of this hotel management agreement which now represents a total of 12 hotels signed under the StayWell brands of Park Regis and Leisure Inn within India. “Park Regis Sanpra Beach is a great addition to the StayWell Portfolio …

Singapore Airlines’ regional wing SilkAir has launched a new mobile App which offers travellers greater travel convenience from booking to boarding. Designed to be fast and intuitive, the mobile App aims to provide users with a functional and seamless user experience. Key features of the mobile app include flight booking, exclusive fares and itinerary management. Users can personalise the SilkAir mobile App home screen to show relevant flight updates and information, while push notifications can be enabled to receive prompt check-in reminders for upcoming trips. Travellers flying from Singapore Changi Airport can also enjoy the Mobile Boarding Pass feature which allows for more efficient flight check in. Additionally, the mobile app will allow KrisFlyer members to view their membership details such as miles and tier information in an easy-to-read design. To celebrate the launch, SilkAir is offering special “App-clusive” deals starting from all-in fares of SGD 159 to Langkawi, SGD189 to Phuket and SGD 229 to Yogyakarta, amongst other destinations. These exclusive mobile app fares are available for a limited time only, until 17 October 20162. In addition, bookings paid with MasterCard on the mobile app entitles the customer to free Resorts World SEA Aquarium Passes. “SilkAir is constantly improving and enhancing our various digital touch points to keep up with the changing landscape of the travel industry. With the SilkAir mobile App, customers can expect greater control and convenience when it comes to planning their travel itineraries.” said SilkAir’s Vice President Commercial, Ryan Pua.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism & Culture has said that for Uttar Pradesh, the ministry is on the verge of sanctioning an amount of Rs.99.97 crore this year for infrastructure development of Buddhist Circuit covering Saravasti, Kapilvastu, Kushinagar. Outlining the ministry’s investment in tourism infrastructure for development of Buddhist Circuit under its Swadesh Darshan scheme, Sharma stated that an amount of Rs. 132.17 crore have been sanctioned till date. Delivering his opening remarks during the International Buddhist Conclave-2016 in Sarnath, UP, Sharma said, “India is the seat of spiritual tourism and that Government of India & Government of Uttar Pradesh are committed to develop the Buddhist Circuits. Sarnath will be made the hub of Buddhist Tourism in India and efforts will be made to bring in air, rail and road connections from Sarnath to various Buddhist sites in India.” Among those attending the opening ceremony were UP Tourism Minister Om Prakash, Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi, Navneet Sehgal, Principal Secretary, UP Tourism and Commissioner Varanasi, H.E. Assoc. Professor Chavanee Tongroach, Vice Minister of Tourism & Sports, Govt. of the Kingdom of Thailand, Macio Favilla, Executive Director, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Mayor of Varanasi amongst others attended the opening session of the conclave. Zutshi said that this is the first time when the International Buddhist Conclave is being organized in the premises of Sarnath. He further added that India is prepared for developing a transborder Buddhist Circuit across ASEAN & SAARC countries to enhance movement of Buddhist pilgrims in the region from remaining parts of the world. The whole day session included panel discussions on ‘India- The Land of Buddha’ with an objective to showcase India …

Star Cruises has announced that SuperStar Gemini will impose a Gratuity Fee on cruise passengers (including Genting Rewards members) for all Singapore departures, commencing from October 30, 2016. The Gratuity Fee of SGD 17 per person per night for all cabin categories (Inside Stateroom, Ocean view Stateroom, Ocean view Stateroom with Balcony) and SGD 21 per person per night (Suite Cabins) are applicable. Infants (below two years) will enjoy exclusive Gratuity Fee waiver. The Gratuity Fee will be automatically captured in the individual guests’ cabin keycard upon SuperStar Gemini cruise check-in and boarding. They can make the Gratuity Fee payment at the Reception Counter (Deck 7) onboard prior to cruise disembarkation on the last cruise day. The Gratuity Fee prepaid option is not available. Agents are requested to note that Onboard Credits (OBCR) cannot be used to offset the Gratuity Fee. Genting Rewards Members can utilise their accumulated Genting Points (GP) to offset the Gratuity Fee. Guests entitled to free cruise cabin redemption with Star Cruises Sponsorship Vouchers and Gift Letters are required to bear the applicable port charges and Gratuity Fee.

Mumbai-based travel representation company, Explora has been appointed to represent a Jordan-based DMC called Zawaya Travel & Tourism. Speaking about the appointment, Karishma Bijlani Kazi, CEO, Explora, says, “We have been appointed as the representatives of Zawaya Travel & Tourism to do their PR, marketing and sales in India. In today’s aggressive market place, we want our travel partners to stand out from the competition. To do this, we provide a robust custom-made service designed to meet individual needs, with the aim of creating strong brand awareness and more importantly, increase financial return. We want our travel partners to regard us as an extension of their own sales and marketing team and for us to work closely together to further develop and maintain successful relationships.” Explora was launched two months and is Kazi’s brainchild. Ghaleb Saloum, General Manager, Zawaya Travel & Tourism, says, “We have produced many successful meetings and incentives programs over the years for different markets. Zawaya Travel &Tourism handles all aspects of organising event from researching our clients’ requirements to the design of meetings and incentives programs, procurement of the massive sound and light systems to meeting and assistance of participants from all around the world. Incentive travel is one of the fastest growing segments within India’s outbound MICE movement thus; we have seen a great opportunity in providing a selection of customised, value-added experiences that cater to the tastes of this important market through its INSPIRE incentive programme. We have partnered with Explora to help us generate ideas, develop content and design our engagement activity. Explora can also help us develop relationships with different travel trade partners.”